Behind Her Eyes
by PerfectDifferences
Summary: She's new, she's different and she's set to stir up a whole load of trouble. But what has Taylor got to hide? Kyle/OC. Rated T for later issues.
1. First Impressions

**This is my first Waterloo Road fanfic! As you know I don't own anything or any of the characters, apart from Taylor who I purely thought of in my mind. I think Kyle's a great character and I thought of doing a Kyle/OC because I really want him to be with someone! Ignore my unnecessary ramblings- basically, I hope you enjoy it! **

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"This is her." Karen nodded towards the blonde girl who was strutting through the school gates, giving anyone that so much as glanced her way a death glare.  
"I see what you mean about her potentially being a disruption." Chris sighed. "What's her background?"  
"That's what I want to find out." Karen answered, moving forwards to greet the newcomer.

_Could they be any more obvious? _I ignored the heads swivelling to look at me and my 'personalised' uniform. Let them stare.

I groaned quietly as a saw two people walking slowly towards me. What was this? The world's worst welcoming party?

"Taylor?" I came to a halt in front of Mrs Fisher, who I'd met a few weeks back. "Come straight to my office when the bell rings for a... chat." I rolled my eyes and saw the young male teacher stood next to her open his mouth, presumably to tell me off for 'insolence'. One glance from the headmistress and he stayed silent.  
"Of course, Mrs Fisher." I said sweetly. I glanced at both of them innocently, before moving away.

I received more looks, the girls either sniggering behind their hands or staring at me nervously, the boys wolf whistling and making crude comments, or slipping carefully out of my way. There was a lump in my throat I couldn't quite ignore. Was this really the facade I wanted?

I couldn't help but nibble my lip, nervously. It didn't have to be this way, I could just fit in, forget everything else...

No. I'm not weak.

"Alright, gorgeous?" A cocky boy winked at me as his mates smirked. I sighed and let the thoughts slip out of my mind.  
"Fine thanks." I said emotionlessly.  
"I'm Finn. Finn Sharkey." He said proudly. I stared right back at him, unimpressed. He looked at me, obviously disgruntled by my lack of response. "So what's your name?" he asked, winking again.  
"Is there something wrong with your eye?" I asked innocently. A few of his friends gave a cough of laughter, earning them a glare I'd be proud of.  
"Don't you get the message? She doesn't want to know." A tall boy called from further down the wall Finn and his friends were leaning against.  
"Shut it, Kyle. What is it, do you fancy the pretty new girl? Too bad she'd never want to go out with a psycho like you." Finn jeered. I glanced at Kyle. His jaw was tight but he looked away, not meeting my eye.  
"Come on babe," Finn turned back to me, looking satisfied. "What you doing tonight?"

"You don't even know my name." I accused him. He raised his eyebrows.  
"Alright, what's your name?" he asked, rolling his eyes.  
"I'm Taylor. Pleased to meet you." I held out my hand for him to shake. The surrounding students smirked at my strange form of greeting. He stared at down bemusedly, before looking quickly around, then grabbed my hand.

Within a split second, I had his arm twisted up his back, causing him to let out a yelp of pain.  
"Don't you ever insult people like that again, or we'll see how you like it when I happily humiliate you even more." I whispered menacingly in his ear. Then I dropped his arm like it had burned me, shot him a disgusted look, and shoved through the laughing crowd

"That was genius." An extremely pretty girl with red plaits fell into step with me, smirking.  
"Oh." I said simply. No gratitude, no pride. She didn't seem fazed by my unwillingness to talk.  
"Well done." She laughed. "He's so cocky. He needs someone to put him down once in a while."  
"It was only because he insulted that Kyle guy." I said. That was my hint to find out more about him.

The smile slipped off her face.

"Be careful round him yeah? My mum's the head teacher. She's had a few... issues with him in the past. And his first day at school gave him a pretty bad rep."  
"Oh." I turned around. He was the other side of the playground now. He didn't fit in, skulking around by himself.  
"Anyways, I'm gonna catch up with my friend Vicky." she smiled. "I'm Jess by the way."

What was I doing? Friends were not what I came for, and they wouldn't help my image later.

"Right." I said abruptly. She looked confused, but I turned away before I could feel guilty. At least I'd let her down early. Sighing, I found my attention making its way back to Kyle, who was still slouching around on his own, hands in pockets, looking surly.

What was my obsession with this boy? I'd already told myself not to get too attached to anyone- least of all someone who I knew nothing about, and didn't look too willing to make friends. But I couldn't ignore the words that swirled round my mind, taunting me- he looked troubled. That's why I was interested.

As the shrill sound of the bell caused me to wince, a slither of doubt was in my mind. This act was going to be a whole lot harder to hold up than I'd thought.

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**Hope you liked the first chapter! Sorry it's not very exciting. Reviews make me smile :)**


	2. Not Going to Plan

**I'm worrying about this story and if it's good enough already, so please review if you've got the chance! Even if it's anonymous and I can't say thank you, I promise I will be so grateful for improvement ideas. **

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It had been two hours and I'd already made quite an impression.

I sighed, clicking my pen loudly to annoy Mr Mead. First day, and I already had a science detention. He didn't once look up, so I lounged back in my chair and looked out of the window.

"How are those questions coming along?" he asked irritably, finally looking up from his desk.  
"Don't understand a word." I said cheerfully.

He sighed and walked over, spending ten minutes explaining things I already knew.

"All ten questions done by tomorrow, please, Taylor." He said firmly as the bell rang for next lesson. "And please try to not get into any more trouble."

I rolled my eyes as I walked out, checking my timetable. English. How enthralling.

"So what emotion is the author trying to convey?" Mr Budgen sounded as bored as we were. I swear a boy behind me was about to fall asleep.

"Boredom?" I muttered under my breath. The class tittered.  
"Quiet!" he called irritably, standing up. "You there, at the front. You are?"  
"Taylor Riley, sir." I grinned.  
"First day? NOT the best first impression, that's for sure."  
"I've spent more time in the cooler or detention than out. That's an impression alright."  
"Yes... Well." He sat back down. "Next time it will be the cooler."  
I just smirked.

When the lesson finished, I checked my timetable again. Spanish with Miss Montoya. I wondered how easy she would be to wind up?

The truth was though, it scared me. That thought that flashed through my mind was genuine- I did want to cause trouble. Why? No other school would take me in, I should be grateful to them.

I walked confidently through the crowds of students, despite the fact I only vaguely knew where the Science labs were. I could see that idiot from earlier up ahead. Finn? I didn't know how hard I'd twisted his arm, but I hoped it had hurt him. Over-confident, obnoxious little boy.

When I got nearer, I realised he was still mouthing off about that Kyle. What was the history between them? I'd only been here five minutes and I could sense some sort of long-lasting feud.

"Can you believe Mead tried to make us 'shake hands'?" he looked disgusted. "I wouldn't go near that psycho in a million years."  
"You keep calling him psycho." I said, interrupting him. I mentally shouted at myself. Where was the threat? It sounded like a statement.  
"Yeah, I do. Why do you care?"  
"It's a strong word." What was wrong with me? I sounded weak. As if I couldn't care less.  
"Not strong enough for him. He should be kicked out." He stepped forward angrily. "No-one likes him and no-one ever will. You know what? They should kick you out together, because I could say the same about you."

There was a thud as my fist connected with his jaw. He yelled in pain, clutching the side of his face. Angry shouts mixed with gasps of shock reached my ears as I stepped back, my hand still clenched at my side.

"Taylor Riley, get to the cooler right now!" I groaned as Mrs Fisher walked through the crowd, yelling furiously. "Finn, are you alright?"  
"No, Miss, I'm not alright! That's the second psycho you've let into the school!" he said through gritted teeth, clutching his jaw. I didn't wait to hear any more. Tears pricking my eyes, I walked away, head down, towards the cooler. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach- I'd really done it now. No matter how long this act lasted, I would always be known as the girl who used her fists before thinking. I hated that. That wasn't me at all.

In the cooler, I sat at the back, using the scratchy material of my jumper to wipe my eyes. There was a small dark circle on my sleeve. Perfect. That would be the mascara. It was hard to care when I was staring out of the window, a feeling of self-loathing overwhelming me. I was weak. I had made a complete mess of today, and there was no going back. I had to keep this up now. This was no longer an act- this was me.

I don't know how long I was sat there until I bothered to turn around to look at the clock. Around twenty minutes, I guessed. I didn't know what would happen now. If I was kicked out, what was I supposed to do then?

I heard raised voices, and Kyle was pushed into the cooler by a male teacher, probably late thirties.

"In there, mouth shut." He said firmly. Kyle stormed moodily to the back and pulled out a chair at the desk next to mine. "I'm sure Mrs Fisher will need words with you soon, as well, Taylor." I rolled my eyes and resumed staring out of the window.

Neither of us spoke for a while.

"Thanks for earlier." Kyle said, breaking the silence.  
"Finn's an idiot." was all I said.  
"Sorry you ended up in here though." I turned to look at him.  
"Do I look particularly bothered?" I asked.  
"No, but you've been crying."  
"How observant you are." I said coolly, turning away again. The silence continued.

The minutes ticked by, before Mrs Fisher appeared at the door. It clicked open.

"Taylor, my office." I was regretting my actions, just at how let-down she sounded. But I still managed a very visible roll of my eyes, to show her I didn't care.


	3. The Most Common Lie

**Your reviews honestly made me so happy! They were so positive, thank you so much everyone :) I hope I can keep you interested with this chapter.**

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_It's raining. I shiver on the doorstep, my numb fingers scrabbling in my pockets, bringing out my key. I frown as I push it into the lock. It's jammed. I knock, my hands red with cold, icy raindrops glistening on my skin. There's no answer._

"One more step out of line, and you're out. Do you understand me?"

I swallowed, her words bringing me back to reality. The memory in my mind makes me feel nauseous, but a light feeling of relief washed over me. I wasn't being kicked out... yet. I had to find the balance between keeping up my act, and keeping the teachers off my back. I didn't have a choice now.

By the time Mrs Fisher had let me out, it was the middle of lunchtime and I had an 'emergency' meeting with Miss Lawall. After all, I'd literally only made it through one lesson without a punishment, and that was by the skin of my teeth.

I fiddled with a strand of dyed blonde hair, wishing it was still brown. I was trying to change myself into someone I wasn't. The past was the past, right?

Except the past was still with me. Every single step I took through these busy corridors, every minute I'd spent in detention. Every punch, every word I'd spoken. Every second of my life.

No-one could know. No matter what tactic Miss Lawall intended to use to coax out the meaning of my behaviour out of me. Guilt trip, pretending to understand, promises of help... Whatever, she had no chance.

My recent flashback combined with my knuckles tapping on the cold glass made me nauseous.  
"Ah, Taylor." Miss Lawall smiled when she opened the door. I took a deep breath to compose myself and walked in, placing my bag on the floor when she told me to sit down. She sat directly in front of me. I couldn't meet her eyes and I doubted that would go unnoticed.

"Right, then. I gather today wasn't particularly a good first day."  
"You could say that." I muttered. She gave a small laugh, causing me to sigh. The friendly plan, was it?  
"I've got your folder here-" My eyes fell nervously on the yellow folder on the small table next to her. "Don't worry! Everyone has one. But looking through it, I've found there's not much we know about you. Is there anything you want to talk to me about?

Yes. Lots of things. I wanted to blurt out everything right there and then, say how sorry I was I'd chosen to be a complete mess on my first day. How I was scared of keeping this up, how I was terrified at how much I was changing, as if it was out of control. Most of all, I wanted to tell her why I'd done all these things.

But all I did was look up, stay silent until I was sure my voice would be steady, then speak.  
"No, Miss."  
"Are you sure?" she probed.  
"Yes, Miss. I'm absolutely fine."  
"Okay..." she didn't look convinced. "If you don't want to tell me, I can always give your house a quick call, just to check everything's fine-"  
"No!" my voice rose in panic. "I mean... No, honestly, Miss, I'm fine." My heart thudded nervously in my chest.  
"What's the matter, Taylor?"  
"Nothing," I repeated. "Please, Miss, I'm fine. I'm sorry for today; I know I didn't make a very good first impression. It won't happen again."

There it was again. That weak, pleading voice that made me seem so... vulnerable. I hated it.

"Alright then. Get to your last class, and _please _try and not get kicked out of this one!" I nodded and left with my head down, aware of her concerned stare.

The last lesson passed without a hiccup, but only because my smart remarks went unnoticed by the teacher. That was perfect for me though- I kept up the comments without being kicked out.

When the bell rang, I picked up my bag and walked slowly out of school. I didn't want to go home. But who would? When you... well.

I took tiny steps towards my front door. Fairy steps, my mother used to call them. I smiled at the distant memory, watching my feet move across the concrete slabs. I heard the door open, and my smile faded along with the memory, to be replaced by fear.

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**Soon I'll be on to the T related storyline. Could someone possibly PM me or just post in their review the definition of triggering? I need to know if I need to post a warning. Thank you so much, please review if you can!**


	4. Accusations

**Had writer's block already, so apologies if this is a bit of a bad chapter!  


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_His hand was in a vice like grip around my forearm but I shook him off, retreating like a frightened animal.  
"Just leave me alone." I begged. But he advanced towards me again, eyes full of menace.  
_

I swung my legs over the side of my bed and, shaking slightly, stood up. I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, moaning quietly when I saw the deep black bags under my eyes. I splashed my face with cold water and watched the water trickle down in the sink, still half asleep. I'd say I'd had three hours sleep at the most.

This was going to be one long Monday.

I suppose I was still lucky to be in school. I spent every day in the cooler, even if it was just for snide remarks in the classroom. I knew the teachers hated me, and that suited me just fine- I didn't need their stupid sympathy.

Half an hour later, the door slammed behind me, and I slipped my key into my pocket, grateful for the cool breeze against my skin. I looked down and subconsciously pulled my sleeves lower down so the material almost covered my fingers. Then, head down, I made my way towards my second week of Waterloo Road.

The wind knotted my hair and I spent most of registration keeping my head down, running my fingers through the tangled mass. I was deaf to the world- too tired to even care about the sniggers that ran through the room when it took me ages to answer my name.

Two lessons passed with me avoiding the cooler, but only because I was too tired to care. My nightmare was haunting me, and it took all the effort in the world to focus on the objects I was supposed to be drawing. At break, I considered walking out of school to go home and sleep, but of course I couldn't, because he was there. So I carried on walking round, alone, holding my sleeves well over my hands.

"There she is." I swung round, unsure who'd spoken. Within seconds, a girl with olive skin and curly dark hair was in front of me, her face dark with anger.  
"Why did you say that about Lauren?" she snarled, her tone seething.  
"Calm down for God's sake! Who the hell is Lauren?"  
"Don't play games with me, you stupid cow! You had no right to call her that!"  
"What are you talking about?" I asked furiously.  
"You called her a slapper. No-one says that about my mates, got it?"  
"Yeah, because I'm so going to say that about someone I only heard of two minutes ago, that's likely..."

She pushed me into the lockers and it took me a second to realise what was happening and I shoved her away. She stumbled backwards then lunged forwards and lashed out, her hand connecting with the side of my face. My cheek throbbed painfully as I backed away from her, trying to calm myself down.

"What the hell are you doing?"  
"That was for what you said about Lauren!" she sneered.  
"I've already told you! I don't even know who Lauren is!" I shouted angrily, rubbing my cheek.

"What is going on here?" Mr Mead shouted, striding over and stepping between us.

"She just started on me sir!" the girl whined.  
"That is so not true! She slapped me across the face and tried to shove me against the locker!" I yelled, my heart thudding with anger.  
"No sir, Taylor just started on Amy for no reason. I was stood over there." I looked to my right. Finn was looking smug. I gritted my teeth and counted to ten.  
"She did seem pretty mad with Amy..." the curly haired boy next to him said reasonably,  
"No she didn't! Amy started on her! For God's sake, you can see the mark on her face!" Kyle was next to protest. I looked at him confusedly but he instantly glanced away.  
"She just attacked me, sir! I was just walking along the corridor."Amy said tearfully. I glared at her.  
"That's a lie! I wouldn't have a go at her for no reason! I don't even know who she is!" I shouted.

"Taylor, cooler." He said firmly. I started to protest. "You really need to calm down."

"I will not calm down! Just because I punched him-" I jabbed my finger towards Finn, "last week you automatically assume it's my fault! She just came over, started having a go at me for calling some girl called Lauren names then started attacking me! I've never spoken to either of them in my life!"  
"She's lying sir-"

"That's enough! You can both come to see Mrs Fisher with me- see if that sorts you out."

My jaw tightened with anger as he lead the way through the murmuring crowd. I turned to glare at Amy and saw her glance at Finn, smirking. I knew exactly what had happened. Finn was trying to get me back for last week and had used some girl with a temper problem to do so. I stayed silent, anger boiling up inside of me.

"What happened?" Mrs Fisher sighed when we followed Mr Mead into her office.  
"I found them screaming at each other in the corridors. There was apparently violence from both of them-"  
"Yeah, funny how I'm the one hurt and I still get blamed isn't it?" I said moodily, looking at the floor.  
"Be quiet Taylor. No-one's blaming you yet. Carry on Mr Mead."  
"But we don't know who's started it. They're obviously both saying it's the other one. Josh and Finn sided with Amy but Kyle said Amy started on Taylor."

"Well I think Josh is the key element here. He doesn't have anything against either of the girls." I gave a cough of laughter. Mrs Fisher turned to look at me. "Problem, Taylor?" I looked up.  
"You're missing something Miss. Isn't it strange how your supposed 'key element' is Finn's best mate?"  
"They aren't that close." Amy muttered.

"We're going to sort this out right now, girls. You're going to go to Miss Lawall's office and you will both tell her your side of the story, and you will stay completely silent until the other one is finished. Do you understand?" We both nodded.

I walked as far away from Amy as I could as we made our way to her office. I was fuming that no-one believed me, but a little voice inside my head told me that was my fault. After all, if I'd started the school with a completely different attitude, we wouldn't be in this position.

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**Sorry that Amy's a bit overly violent. I know she used to be but she hasn't for a while so I hope it wasn't too out of character. Please review if you get chance! Also, I would never say that about Lauren myself (in fact I love her as a character) it's just the storyline.**


	5. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

"Wait outside please, Taylor. I'll talk to Amy first. Don't worry; you'll get a chance to say your side of the story." Miss Lawall smiled reassuringly before closing the door behind her and Amy.

I rolled my eyes and, heart still pounding with fury, sat on the ledge by the window in the corridor. I put my bag on my lap and rummaged around for my phone. I was so busy moving my books and pencil case around trying to find it that I didn't hear someone approach.

"You alright?" I looked up. Kyle was walking towards me, looking faintly concerned.  
"Yeah. Thanks for sticking up for me back there." I said quickly.  
"It's only telling the truth." he said, glancing at Miss Lawall's office. The blinds were closed so she couldn't see him.  
"Shouldn't you be in class?" I pointed out. He smirked.  
"Yeah. Well actually I'm on my way to the cooler but that's not the point."  
"What have you done now?" I asked.  
"I think Mr Budgen called it 'mouthing off'." He rolled his eyes.  
"Oh right."  
"Anyway, I'd better get to the cooler. See you." He walked away without looking back. My goodbye stuck in my throat as I resumed searching for my phone. He was the only person who'd spoken more than three words to me that didn't involve insults since Jess.

My hand closed around my phone and I picked it up, placing it next to me as I packed my books quickly away. After all that fuss, I didn't even have any messages.

"Wait here please, Amy." I heard Miss Lawall say as the door opened. I dropped my phone in the top of my bag and hopped off the ledge. Amy gave me a smug stare as she sauntered past. I didn't retaliate as I walked into the neat little office which I may as well call home the amount of time I spent here.

"Take a seat, Taylor." I did as I was told, chewing my lip. "I'm not going to give any introductions, just tell me what happened in your words, please." I sighed.

"I was walking through the corridor when I heard someone say 'that's her'. I didn't know who it was so I just turned around. Amy was there, but obviously I didn't know she was called Amy until Finn said it later. She was having a go at me for calling her friend Lauren stuff. I was really confused because I'd never spoken to them before and I definitely didn't know who Lauren was. Then she pushed me against the locker and I pushed her away and... yeah. She slapped me too." I pointed to my cheek, assuming it was still red.  
"Right." She looked slightly confused. "I'll need to tell Mrs Fisher as your stories are completely different..." her voice trailed off as I picked up my bag.  
"Whatever. I know I'll end up getting the blame so this was a waste of my time." I stood up and walked over to the door, more pressing things on my mind. "In fact, give them the satisfaction and kick me out anyway. It's not like anyone will miss me." I pulled open the door and strutted out, ignoring her calls for me to come back.

"Shut it." I snarled as Amy gave a snort of laughter. I shoved past her and through the corridors, running my fingers through my hair.

"Taylor." Miss Lawall was following me quickly, surprisingly well considering her heels. "No-one's blaming you yet. We've got both sides of the story, which was what we needed. We're not kicking you out either, I promise you." She looked concerned. "Now as this does involve violence we're going to have to keep pushing until we get to the bottom of this I'm afraid." I nodded, jaw clenched.  
"I'll get some witnesses in and we'll go from there." She paused. "I'll have to put you outside Mrs Fisher's office and send Amy to the cooler to keep you apart though."  
"Fine." I turned on my heel and walked away, not bothering to hear anymore.

I flopped on the chairs outside Mrs Fisher's office, told a very nosy secretary why I was there, then kept my eyes fixed on a mark on the floor, drowning everything out. A million thoughts were rushing through my mind, almost making me feel dizzy. If I'd made an impression bad enough that people were scheming to get me kicked out, then maybe I should just move schools. But then again, I'd only moved here because my mum died.

My eyes filled with tears and I brushed them away quickly, checking to see if the secretary had noticed. She was too busy painting her nails to look at me. I dropped my gaze to my lap and stayed silent, digging my nails into my palms.

I glanced at the clock. Half an hour had passed since I'd been sent up here. I was tired, my head was swimming. I couldn't cope with any more of this today.

"We're in luck." Miss Lawall announced, leading a very humble looking Finn and Amy into the office and knocking on Mrs Fisher's door. "We know Amy hit you, Taylor. We have two reliable witnesses. You can go back to your lesson." She said kindly. "I'll come and find you later and we'll talk it through."

That couldn't be the end of it, surely? I mean, who was so reliable that she would just magically drop everything and grant me innocence? It took me a second to gather my thoughts and stand up to leave.

I had English, so I made my way to Mr Budgen's classroom and muttered why I was late. I also had to remind him what my name was.  
"Oh so _you're_ the reason I had to send the boy out in the lesson before." He said grumpily.  
"What do you mean?" I turned around, halfway towards my seat at the back.  
"In a very heroic act, well if you can call it that, he was about to punch Mr Sharkey after some comment he made about you. A waste of my time it was, and we were studying such beautiful literature as well..." he stood up, sorting through some papers and shaking his head.

I blushed, taking my books out and sitting down. _He'd said it was mouthing off, not sticking up for me! _I frowned. I can easily tell you it was very difficult to concentrate that lesson.

When I was eventually called back to Mrs Fisher's office, I received a very forced apology from Finn and Amy, and was told Amy had been suspended for violence. I wasn't glad, I wasn't smug. To be quite frank, I didn't really care.

So the long Monday turned out to be a lot more eventful than I thought. But three weeks later as I sat shaking in my room, I realised there was a whole lot more to come.

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**Hope it's okay! Please review if you can. There'll be more Kyle in the next few chapters, don't worry!**


	6. Secrets

**This is one of the first T related chapters. I hope I've written this well enough, I really do.  


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Three weeks. It doesn't seem like long. Twenty-one days. But believe me, a lot can happen in that time.

Take school. I was on my way into school from my first proper suspension of two weeks. I felt awful for it- just 8 days after Amy had been excluded for hitting me in the corridor, I'd gone and got in a scrap with Finn. Again. This time it was because he insulted my mum, but there was still no excuse. Particularly not for the black eye I'd given him, which was far worse than the mark on his jaw the week before. I was surprised that I hadn't fast forwarded to second or even third strike. The only thing that stopped that happening was a sudden compassion from Finn who confessed to insulting her after I told him she was dead. He seemed genuinely sorry he'd said that, so my apology was genuine too, and I'd accepted my punishment.

Of course, my punishment was a little more than two weeks exclusion, and from the gasps issued around me, I could see the other students had realised it. The bruise on my cheekbone spoke for itself.

I dodged past Mr Mead with my head down and made my way to registration. I sat in my usual seat at the back and pulled my long, still dyed, blonde hair over the mark. It throbbed painfully, despite being relatively old. I was, unsurprisingly, glad to be back at school and away from home.

This Tuesday was exactly like the long Monday I'd feared three weeks ago that had been interrupted by the fight in the corridor. Me walking round in a daze, lessons passing slower than anything I'd ever known. I hated the stares, and I couldn't think of what to say to explain the bruise. 'I fell over.' was my unconvincing story at the moment.

_"You're nothing." he sneers.  
"At least I'm not a bully." is my soft response. _

I scrub away a solitary tear that slides down my cheek. I'm supposed to be doing Maths, not memories.

_He's angry. He thinks I've told someone.  
"You can't go into school looking like that! Someone will ask questions."  
"Should've thought more about what you're doing to me then, shouldn't you?" is my harsh response. I shut the door in his face, making my way to school, pulling my sleeves over my hands as usual. It's like a routine for me now, a routine I can't change._

I leave the classroom feeling dizzy and disorientated. I can't do this anymore. As people filter off into various classrooms for fourth period, I keep walking. Up various stairs, until I find an empty corridor, away from the masses of students. Then I lean against the wall and try and steady myself. I feel like I'm going to fall and for all I know, keep falling.

"Taylor?" I squeeze my eyes shut then open them again. Kyle's walking quickly towards me. Does that boy ever stay in class?

"Hi." I say, straightening up.  
"Are you alright?" he asks. He looks worried. Not concerned, actually worried. Does that mean someone cares in this place?  
"I'm fine." I give a false smile. 'It's the most common lie' is what people say jokingly. But to me it's not a joke. That's what I have to live by. I'm living a lie.  
"You're not." He answers. "What's wrong?"

I open my mouth to say 'nothing' but I can't quite get the words out. It's as if that lie is too big to even say.

But I can't tell him, so what's the use? I'll have to fake a smile, do what I do best.

"I can't talk now." I lift my bag further up my shoulder, my eyes filling with tears.  
"Taylor." His voice is gentle, but he reaches out and holds my arm gently to stop me walking away. I wince in pain, then my heart drops. I pray he hasn't noticed.

One of many prayers of mine that go unanswered.

He rolls up my sleeve, and his face stays calm as he takes in the obviously shaped bruises that pattern my arm.

"Alright, Taylor." He looks me right in the eye. "What's going on?"

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**The ending for this Chapter is so unbelievably bad and out of character. I'm so sorry, but I can't change it now since I've had some reviews. I know how out of character it is, I'm so annoyed at myself for posting it!**

**I'm so worried about this chapter and your reviews would mean more than anything right now, so I know how to continue in Chapter Seven. I'm uploading very quickly at the moment because I'm back at school on Monday, so chapters will be much less frequent. **


	7. I Need You

**You guys probably hate me so much right now!  
I am so, so sorry that I haven't updated. I panicked, thought 'that was such a bad chapter I can't continue it, how embarassing' etc and it actually haunted me for a month or two- I get very involved in my writing! **

**But then I thought, I can't leave a story that has twenty reviews. So I know it's bad, and it's taken forever to update, but, forgive me? *Puppy dog eyes* And thank you for all the reviews, else this would've been abandoned. Thank you so much for reading xx**

"Nothing you need to know about." The words have escaped my mouth before I can think. I can't tell him, I can't. I'm not weak.  
"I'm not blind." He retorts.

I chew my lip, eyes glued to the floor.

"Just leave it, yeah?" I say, the words paining me. Because I know, I know I've missed a chance to tell the one person I can trust the truth.  
"Taylor-"  
"Leave it." I repeat. Then I walk quickly away.

He calls after me, but I keep going, my head bowed. I feel sick. I have to go home, clear this up before the end of the day else I know I'm in for a lot worse tonight.

My main problem now is that Kyle suspects something. But this is, after all, the moody sullen teenager who thinks school is a waste of time. I can't see him going to a teacher with his 'concerns'.

Is he really concerned?

I stop dead, as if that question has actually been spoken aloud. I've never really thought about it... Can I trust him? Sometimes, in fact all the time, I feel like I can't trust anyone at all.

"_Don't tell anyone. You never know what they'll do about it. Trust me."  
I know it's wrong. I feel sick as I nod, already pulling my sleeves down as the door slams behind me. It's wrong. He's wrong. The way he treats me is wrong.  
And I'm powerless to stop him. _

There's a strange roar in my ears, like rushing wind. I squeeze my eyes shut briefly before running, straight out of the school, not bothering to look back. Someone will have noticed, whether teacher or pupil. It's whether they care enough to tell someone important. I doubt it.

I run all the way home, tears streaming down my face, fumbling with the key in the lock. I throw the door open ready for my grovelling apology, pray it will spare me few less bruises.

Nothing.

I'm greeted by an empty house, silent. My heart drops. This is so... eerie. It's never been empty before, his dark presence has always been there. In a way, it still is I suppose. Even if I never saw him again, I had a feeling I would never forget him.

I shut the door gently, reeling from the shock of it all. My heart is thudding with adrenaline as I realise this could be my chance to get out, run away. I could pack, without him knowing.

I've answered my own question before I've even finished it. Books tumble out of my bag as I sprint upstairs, shoving necessities into it, clothes, a bottle of water, a blanket.

I laugh. It's a strange, humourless sound. I'm sixteen years old, about to live on the streets. The idea of it amazes me. But I realise the reason for my broken laughter- I'll be free.

My heart sinks. I need to get away from Rochdale. Leave school, it's the only way he won't find me. Even if I leave now, tomorrow he could drop in to the school at any time, and I'll be back to square one. I'll have to sleep on the streets, but somewhere else. Somewhere a train journey away, perhaps? I'll steal some of his money and buy a train ticket for the first train that leaves the station when I get there.

I'll text Kyle on the way. Thank him for caring, assuming it's true. He's the only person who'd been half decent to me in that school. In a weird way, I understood him, he understood me. We were the same- misunderstood by everyone else.

I realise it's not enough. I have to see him before I leave, explain everything so he understands me completely.

More tears? I brush my eyes angrily. He's a boy. A teenager who happens to understand me. No big deal. I know I'm lying to even myself now, like I lie to everyone else. As I've said before. My life is just one big lie. And I can't take it any more.

I pull the door open, stuffing the wad of notes in my pocket. It shuts behind me in the gentle breeze. I still don't know where he is, but I don't care. I've made it. I check my watch. Kyle will be in lessons, but I doubt he'll object to walking out- he normally does. This is the one chance I have to talk to him. I can't mess it up, and I need to do it quickly.

I pull out my phone, swallowing as I type in three words to text him.

'I need you.'

And it's true in every way.


End file.
